Joseph Hawley

Hawley, Joseph, 1723–88, political leader in the American Revolution, b. Northampton, Mass. He was a leader of the opposition to the revivalist preaching of Jonathan Edwards and helped bring about Edwards's dismissal from his Northampton church. A lawyer, he served in the General Court of Massachusetts, where he became prominent in the struggle for political freedom before the Revolution. A leader of pre-Revolutionary activities in W Massachusetts, he was a strong supporter and frequent correspondent of John Adams.